Prentiss

Female and male strippers danced, some in joint performances, some solo, and then the MC stood back up and caught my attention with his first sentence.

"Has anyone here ever seen Magic Mike?" He asked the crowd. I heard high pitched squeals in reply to him, and some male voices cheered too. That's what I loved about this place, all sexualities were welcome. "Well how about Magic Mike XXL?" Cheers and squeals again. "Remember the last dance with Channing Tatum? We have a re-enactment tonight for you lovely ladies and lads." He jumped down from the stage and picked a female from the crowd; I assumed he was choosing at random.

I laughed to myself and looked at JJ, "Remember when I said it would be like some Magic Mike shit? Turns out I wasn't wrong." She laughed too.

He walked closer to our table and I got a sick feeling when I saw him looking at me out the corner of my eye, "And just like in that movie…Emily, I've heard about you." He walked over and grabbed my hand before I could take if off the table. He pulled me up and I shook my head but he didn't listen. He walked me up the stage and told me to sit in the vacant chair. I hesitated but I didn't want to look like an idiot in front of the whole audience, so I sat down unwillingly. "You saw these two earlier." He said before he walked off the stage quickly. It went dark, only party lights flashing in red, pink, blue, and white. 112's 'Anywhere' started playing then, and Mason and another male stripper walked up onto the stage. Of course it was Mason. If I remembered the movie correctly, not a thing was out of place. 'All The Time' played next, the version used in the movie, and it was hard to keep my small moans and breaths in as he danced around me so seductively, bending me over and thrusting. Pullout's 'Cookie' played, the mashup matching the movie. When he pulled my head up by my hair and spun me over, it reminded me of our rough nights together, and I laughed so hard when he lay me sideways and pretended to thrust in and out. It was embarrassing, knowing the team was watching me up here. It wouldn't be so bad if it were just the girls, but Reid, the poor boy was so young and seemed to innocent. Morgan would be shocked that I even "allowed" this to happen and he would never let me live it down. Rossi would not be very pleased with seeing his daughter up here being made out to be almost like a sexual object, not that it bothered me much. Hotch was my boss, and he was watching his…well…former subordinate up here, being humped and flipped and stripped upon. I think I felt the most awkward because I knew that if it were…say…Hotch and I in a room, and no one else was around, and he started something like this…I wouldn't exactly object. I smiled to myself, thinking about how unbelievable that thought was; Hotch would never do anything even remotely like this and especially not with me.

When he dragged me across the ground and moved across the stage, forcing me into jumping up and down on his lap, I caught a glimpse of the team. They all seemed like they were enjoying seeing my misery up here. Hotch and Rossi seemed like they were trying not to watch, but I didn't miss the look in Hotch's eyes. It was just a second, but I saw anger, protectiveness, but I also saw an unwilling force keeping his eyes on me.

Mason swapped with the other stripper briefly, but he came right back to me and pulled me to my knees. He hooked my fingers in the waist band of his jeans. "Rip them off on three, okay?" He was smirking at me as he started counting. I didn't want to do it, but I wasn't going to mess up his performance. Once his pants were off and I was kneeling with my head in my hands in a small fit of laughter, he scooped me up. 'All I Do Is Win' played and the lights came back on as he carried me around. After humping me only once more, he put me down.

"Enjoy that?" He smirked as I faced him.

"My family is here, so thank you for that." I shook my head and spoke louder so he'd hear me over the music. He laughed and spun me around, pointing at me to draw a cheer from the crowd for me. I shook my head and pushed him back away from me playfully. I walked off the stage and down the steps off the side before making my way back to the table of my team. All but Hotch and Rossi cheered as I met them again and I dropped my head into my hands as I sat back in my seat.

"I saw some chemistry up there." Savannah teased before the five of them laughed.

"Did that hurt when he pulled your head up by your hair? Because it looked painful." Garcia said.

"I know what she can handle, right gorgeous?" I heard Mason's voice behind me.

I groaned and dropped my head again, "Please go away."

"What a place to bring your family…although I'm guessing this is your team," He had his head resting on my left shoulder and I saw him look to Garcia, "But she likes it rough, trust me, I know."

"Oh my god! Stop talking!" The five of them laughed again. Rossi shifted uncomfortably in his seat and a small amused smirk played on Hotch's lips, although when I glanced, it seemed forced.

"Have you got any single guys back there?" JJ asked, sitting forwards, resting her right elbow on the table and her chin in her right hand.

"For you, princess, we sure do," He looked at Garcia, "What about you, beautiful?" Garcia smiled but she didn't reply, she just laughed and looked at me and then JJ.

JJ nodded, "Yeah, she wants one too."

Mason looked to Savannah and Morgan but he saw their linked hands and dismissed them. He looked towards Reid, Hotch, and Rossi, "I'm not seeing rings, should I bring three lovely women out?"

"No, thank you." Rossi shook his head. Hotch declined, and so did Reid.

"Alright, I'll get right on it." He winked at JJ and Garcia before standing. I caught his hand and stood up, walking a few steps away from the table.

"The younger guy that said no last, get him a lap dance for me?"

"On the house, gorgeous." He smirked and then walked towards the backstage. I smiled and sat back down with the team.

All three girls were smirking at me, "You're totally going home with him tonight." JJ said.

I smiled again but I looked down to try and hide it. I shook my hair to fall over my face and I became very interested in my drink again. I started stirring the straw around again. Garcia giggled, "Yeah you are."

"I hate myself." I laughed.

Reid didn't talk to me for about a half hour after his lap dance, but he gave in and started laughing at my jokes and shooting humorous snide comments back. I danced with the girls and Morgan, I danced with Mason and I let him dance dirty despite knowing that the team was watching. After a few hours, the place was beginning to slow down a bit with people leaving, and the team decided to go home too. JJ and Garcia had both hit it off well with the two men that Mason had brought out for them and I was sure that the two would be hooking up tonight. I tried to fight my temptation, but ended up going home with Mason, much to Rossi's displeasure.

I called a cab from Mason's apartment before he woke and I caught it back to Rossi's. When the driver pulled up the driveway, I stepped out and I heard the front door open behind me. I turned and looked at Rossi; he looked pissed. He walked down the steps and to the driver's window, "How much?" He paid for me and motioned for me to go inside.

"Thank you." I said as he walked inside behind me and closed the front door, "…You're mad at me."

"You drank a lot last night, and then you left without a word to anyone with a man who we don't even know."

"…Rossi, it's just like when I go out with the girls and go home with someone else that I met that night."

"You tell JJ where you're going when you do that. You told no one last night, you just left."

"Okay, I appreciate the concern, but you're too paranoid and I can handle my own. You're kind of really out of line right now."

He shook his head, "You know how delicate things are right now, Emily."

"Rossi, I've known him for a long time," I nodded, "I dated him once upon a time. It's all cool." I walked away from him and into the living room where I saw the silent team. I smirked at JJ and Garcia, "You get lucky?" I looked between them. Henry ran out with Jack chasing behind him from the kitchen.

JJ motioned to her son, "I am not even kidding you, I was lying on the bed and he was about to…" She paused and glanced at the four men in the room before returning her eyes to me, "And then Will called."

"Oh, that sucks," I put my bag down and sat, "Why'd he call so late?"

She rolled her eyes, "I don't know, something about someone in a hospital somewhere. I was too disappointed to listen to the details."

"It sounds so heartless when you say it like that." Savannah shook her head.

"Don't you have a shift?" JJ shot her a glare before they both smiled and laughed.

"What about you, Pen?" I asked.

She smirked at me but she didn't speak. I raised my eyebrows and held my hand out. She high fived me and we both laughed.

I looked back to JJ, "How long are you here?"

"Uh…" She looked at her watch, "I have to take Henry to a playdate in a while. Why?"

"I need to talk to you." I said as I stood up. I motioned for her to follow me and she stood.

"Please don't tell me that you're pregnant." She joked as she followed me through to the kitchen. We both laughed as I opened the back door and walked out. She closed it behind her and I walked to the nearby metal table and chairs beneath a tree. I sat and waited for her to sit too. She turned more serious now, "What's going on, Em? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine…I just need to talk to you about something. You're probably going to get defensive and upset and I totally get it because I did for ages too, but you know how Rossi and Hotch keep drilling into us about how much we've been drinking recently?" She gave me a questioning look and nodded. "Well I think that I'm starting to understand…kind of…what they're talking about. JJ, we're drinking away our problems. We're trying to forget them but we're not solving anything."

She sat up straighter, "What problem do I have to forget?"

"…JJ, I know that Will's absence is talking a huge toll on you."

"I'm not drinking to forget anything, Emily. I'm drinking to have fun while I'm out. That's what you're supposed to do."

I shook my head, "How do you expect to provide an appropriate home for Henry when you go out every night you can, come home with hangovers and men, and have different types of empty alcohol bottles around? It's tough JJ, I know, but it's not okay…for either of us. It's not just you, it's me as well."

She shook her head and stood up, "Do not try and tell me how to raise my son."

"JJ." I stood and followed her. She went back inside and to the living room. I heard her call for Henry as I walked in behind her, "JJ, come on."

She turned around, "I don't need your input on what I do outside of work, or how I raise my son. Henry!"

I wanted to stop there and not bring anything up in front of the team, but she wasn't going to listen again after she left this room with Henry. He ran out and she told him to say goodbye to everyone. "JJ, listen to me."

"You don't have a kid, Emily. You don't know the first thing about parenting a child." She said as she took a step back. She pushed Henry gently to walk out of the room and she turned to leave into the foyer.

"JJ, Will wants to take custody." I said before she could leave. The team was silent and looking between us.

She turned slowly and stared at me, "What?"

I hesitated and looked down, "He called me a few nights ago…and he's worried about you. Specifically about your drinking and how it could be affecting your safety at work and your relationship with Henry. He said that he wanted me to talk to you and that if in the next few weeks, you don't slow down and Henry keeps coming back to his place with stories about mummy's bad drinks, mummy's unknown men, mummy's headaches…then he's going to fight for full custody."

She stood completely still and silent for a few seconds before she shook her head, "He can't do that."

"Yeah he can, JJ." Morgan said quietly, looking at her. She looked down and hesitated before Henry called for her. She turned quickly and walked out quickly after him. I heard the front door open and close and I let out a breath.

Garcia looked at me, "Are you serious? You weren't just saying that to get through to her?"

I shook my head, "He wanted me to get through to her…and I kind of got through to myself too," I looked at Rossi and Hotch, "Sorry for being so difficult."

"Are you acknowledging that your alcoholism is a serious problem?" Hotch asked me. I nodded. "Are you going to stop drinking?"

"Well…I don't know about stop…but I'll slow down?" I bit my lip.

Hotch glanced at Rossi, "It's a start." Rossi said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Right…well now it's down to JJ." Morgan said.

"Good luck." I nodded and grabbed my bag. I walked out of the room and up the staircase. I was exhausted and I didn't sleep much at all last night. Every time Mason and I thought about going to sleep, we just had another round instead. It was a fun night but there was no way I'd go back to seeing him; we never got along. I put my bag down and stripped my dress off. I threw on a pair of cotton shorts and a long sleeve shirt before lying under the covers in bed. I closed my eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.